Sudden thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds, are nothing new in summer, and they often bring relief from the searing heat. But they can also cause considerable damage to crops such as mango and banana, apart from taking a toll on human life as well.

This summer, such weather events are becoming too frequent in Andhra Pradesh. According to authorities, 16 deaths were reported from coastal AP alone during the past week due to lightning strikes and on Tuesday alone nine deaths were reported, five from Guntur district and four from Vizianagaram district.

The authorities are giving lightning alerts but they are reaching only the urban people who have smartphones and the Internet. More often than not, it is the farmers and farm labourers who are caught unawares by lightning strikes.

Crop losses

According to officials of the Agriculture Department, considerable damage was caused to mango, banana, paddy and maize due to the heavy rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday. According to preliminary estimates, crops on 1,000-2,000 acres may have been damaged in three-four districts.

Growing incidents

Lightning strikes are on the rise and are likely to become more frequent due to global warming and climatic change, and people should take precautionary measures, according to SSVS Ramakrishna, a professor at the department of Meteorology and Oceanography in Andhra University.

“We should be prepared to face this natural calamity and minimise the casualties, as we are doing in the case of cyclones and floods,” he said.

Vajrapath (lightning) App alerts within a radius of 8-30 km are now available, but only to the urban people. Warnings must go out to rural areas through television channels and over radio. Also people also should be sensitised and educated about the growing danger, he said.

Installation of lightning rods, with proper earthing facilities, should also be made mandatory, he added.

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